Friday Night Meltdown at C’est la vie

What could possibly be better than an evening centered around cheese? The specific type of cheese being tasted and celebrated at C’est la vie French café and crêperie on Friday, Nov. 3, is raclette—a semi-hard cow’s milk cheese originating from the Swiss Alps. “Raclette” is from the French word “racier,” meaning “to scrape,” and this is why: the big wheels of raclette cheese are traditionally cut into quarters, melted on one side, and then the melty bits are scraped onto a pile of roasted potatoes. At the moment I can’t think of a single thing I’d rather be eating.

Raclette parties are all the rage at the moment—just search for it on Pinterest, and you’ll see what we mean—but the raclette party at Soirée is a perfect way to get familiar with this popular European dish. In addition to the delicious, delicious cheese and roasted potatoes, Soirée will provide bread, arugula salad, prosciutto, cornichons, and pearl onions. The plate of goodies is brought to your table, and then you take your plates up to the “cheese lady” when you are ready, and she will scrape the melted cheese onto your plate. (Are you thinking what I’m thinking? Yes! I want to be the cheese lady!) Wine, beer, and dessert will be available. The cost is $15 per person, and reservations are recommended for parties of six or more. The first seating begins at 4 p.m. and the last seating begins at 7 p.m.

C’est la vie (which doubles as Soirée Supper Club) is located at 1307 N.E. 78th St., Suite 10, in the Hazel Dell area of Vancouver. For reservations, call 360-258-1403 or 360-553-5836.